Manuel Leal better known as Tinieblas ("Darkness"), is a Mexican

Mexican people

Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....

 luchador

Lucha libre

Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...

.

Professional wrestling career

Tinieblas began as a body builder and stunt man who was spotted by luchadores Black Shadow

Alejandro Cruz

Alejandro Cruz was a Puerto Rican athlete and politician who was mayor of the city of Guaynabo during the 1980s and early 1990s. He became known across Puerto Rico also as Junior Cruz.-Biography:...

 and Dory Dixon

Dory Dixon

Dorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...

. Impressed by Leal's physique they convinced him to begin a career as a "luchador". In 1968, "Lucha Libre" magazine editor Valente Pérez, came up with the idea of a character that would act as a rival for luchador Mil Mascaras

Mil Máscaras

Aaron Rodríguez , best known as Mil Máscaras , is a semi-retired Mexican professional wrestler and actor, who has starred in several films with fellow luchadores...

. He created a character with a faceless hood and named him "Tinieblas" (Darkness). Perez selected the former body builder turned luchador to wrestle as that character. Tinieblas debuted as a face on August 20, 1971. He would became a large draw in Mexico and toured internationally. Tinieblas was also one of the first luchadores to tour Japan in 1974.

Comic series

Tinieblas was the second luchador (after El Santo) to have a comic book series based on his character. His first comic book was printed between 1976 to 1979. In 1991, a second series titled, "Tinieblas, El Hijo de la Noche" ("Tinieblas, Son of the night") was created. It was printed until 1995. The Tinieblas comic series was relaunched in the year 2000.

Film career

Tinieblas also made appearances in luchador films. In 1971, he starred as a member of a squadron of masked superheroes in the film '"Los Campeones Justicieros"' (The Champions of Justice). Membership in the Champions of Justice included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Mil Mascaras

Mil Máscaras

Aaron Rodríguez , best known as Mil Máscaras , is a semi-retired Mexican professional wrestler and actor, who has starred in several films with fellow luchadores...

, Blue Demon

Blue Demon

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno , better known as Blue Demon , was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time...

, El Rayo de Jalisco, Sr.

Rayo de Jalisco, Sr.

Máximino "Max" Linares Moreno , better known as Rayo de Jalisco is a Mexican luchador who is considered to be one of the best wrestlers of his generation....

, El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco and Superzan. He guest-starred in many low-budget foreign series, such as Vendetta and Rederiet.

Legacy

Tinieblas debuted at a relatively old age of 32, so he never reached the same physical peak as many other popular luchadores of his generation. However, his character remains popular with young lucha libre fans, primarily due to his appearance in comic books and films. Tinieblas still wrestles occasionally and has appeared alongside his son Tinieblas, Jr.

Videogames

The 2D wrestling arcade game

Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

 Saturday Night Slam Masters

Saturday Night Slam Masters

Saturday Night Slam Masters, known in Japan as , is a 1993 pro wrestling arcade game released for the CP System by Capcom. The game features character designs by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, famous for Fist of the North Star....

released by japanese game company Capcom

Capcom

is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 in 1993 featured a final boss character called "El Escorpión" (The Scorpion), whose appearance was inspired by Tinieblas. The character's name in the original japanese edition of the game was "The Astro" (アストロ, Asutoro).

Films (listed in reverse chronological order)

• Furia de los karatecas, La (1982), aka Fury of the Karate Killers, starring Santo
• Puño de la muerte, El (1982) starring Santo
• Investigador Capulina, El (1975)
• Momias de San Ángel, Las (1975)
• Leyendas macabras de la colonia (1974) (as Tinieblas el Gigante)
• Castillo de las momias de Guanajuato, El (1973) aka The Castle of the Mummies of Guanajuato (International: English title)
• Rosa sobre el ring, Una (1973) (uncredited)
• Superzan el invencible (1971)
• Campeones justicieros, Los (1971) (as Tinieblas el Gigante)... aka The Champions of Justice (International: English title)
• Las Momias de Guanajuato (1970), his character was "Satanas", the leader of the Killer Mummies

In wrestling

• Signature moves
• El Abrazo del Oso (Bear hug)
• Plancha

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Association
  World Wrestling Association
  The World Wrestling Association is a lucha libre promotion based in the Tijuana-area of Mexico. It was founded in 1986 by Benjamin Mora, Jr....
  
  
• WWA World Heavyweight Championship
  WWA World Heavyweight Championship (Mexico)
  The WWA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling based promotion World Wrestling Association since 1986...
  
   (1 time)

Lucha de Apuesta record

Wager	Winner	Loser	Location	Date	Notes
Mask	Tinieblas	El Internacional	Unknown	Unknown
Hair	Tinieblas	TNT	Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
Mask	Tinieblas	Red Terror	Unknown
Hair	Tinieblas	Super Máquina	Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
Hair	Tinieblas	Abdullah Tamba	Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	1987
Mask	Tinieblas	Médico Asesino Jr.	Torreón Torreón Torreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,... , Coahuila Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
Mask	Tinieblas	El Enfermero 2001	Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande... , Chihuahua
Mask	Tinieblas	Zombie II	Ensenada Ensenada, Baja California Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific... , Baja California Baja California Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...